Yet, we all forget to do it or tell us that the happiness and health of others mean more right now. A lot of people put themselves last, sometimes helping others is easier than taking care of your own mental and physical health. But the truth is: you can only help others, if you take care of yourself first.

But how can you actually practice self-care?

You start small. You find the things that calm and de-stress you. For each and everyone of us it is something different. For example, I like to take care of my skin and body so I either exercise or treat myself to a face mask. But like I mentioned it’s different for everyone.

But here are some simple ways to make sure you take care of yourself:

Rest. Do nothing for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour. Truly rest.

Vent. Find something that helps you to vent, whether it being talking to friends or family or working out. Find something that takes the edge off.

Learn to say no. And only commit to the things that are truly necessary and make you happy.

Focus. Focus on the things that are important to you, focus on your basis needs, as well as focusing on not overdoing it.

Listen. If you body is telling you to rest or slow it down, listen to it. It’s better to be cautious than to overexert yourself.

Stop comparing yourself. Each life, each body, each opinion is different. Stop comparing yourself or your life to others. Once you stop doing it, you’ll learn to appreciate your differences to others.

Feel. Your feelings are valid, no matter how senseless you might think they are. Feel your feelings and then move on. Emotions make us stronger, not weaker.

Start by doing one thing for yourself a day. Whether it being five minutes extra in bed to calm your thoughts or whether it is a short workout or nap. Find something that suits your lifestyle. You’ll always have at least 20 minutes a day to just take care of yourself and if not make room for it and evaluate your day. You don’t have to spend money.

Self-care is about mindfulness, habits, practices and mindsets. Find your way. Create and sustain a better life for yourself and the people you care about.

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12 thoughts on “How to Practice Self-Care”

I love the idea of starting small when beginning self-care routine. You have mentioned some genuinely good tips here especially venting. It’s not okay to be okay and venting out emotions is so important. Thanks for sharing this post!

Earlier I was never worrying about self-care. I thought it’s something for old people after a long and hard life 😀
But when at age 22 started some problems with my mental health and nervous-system, I understand that I was wrong! Self-care is not only needed but it’s a must! And we need to talk about it with young people because in those crazy years we are ignoring our body and brain signals… just like me.

I love this post. It is eye-opening, how simple self-care can be. It’s not just material things that we can do to make ourselves feel better. It’s all about mindful compassion and taking time for your mental health. Great post!

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